The present invention relates to supports for conventional garment hangers, and more specifically to an elongated support for accepting the upper, hooked ends of a plurality of hangers for mounting upon, with its longitudinal axis parallel to a wall or other vertical surface.
The standard, hooked-end garment hanger has been one of the most familiar household items for many years. These hangers are fabricated from bent wire, molded plastic, wood and combinations of such materials. In their most common form, the hangers are essentially planar; that is, the hooked, upper end which engages over a support lies in the same plane as the outwardly extending, garment supporting portions of the hanger.
Supports for both conventional and special-design hangers have been proposed in a multitude of variations including, by way of example, those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,708,522, 3,081,882, 3,120,309, 3,302,800, 3,688,915, 4,548,328, 4,676,382, 4,811,853, 4,953,718, and 5,050,750. The hanger support may be free standing or affixed to some other structure, such as the lower, horizontal surface or an outer edge of a shelf, or vertical, parallel wall surfaces between which the hanger support (e.g., an elongated rod) extends.
In virtually all cases, the support has an axis perpendicular to the planes of hangers suspended thereon. This means that the garment supporting portions of the hangers extend outwardly on each side of the vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the hanger support. Consequently, the hanger support must be spaced from any adjoining vertical surfaces of walls, doors, etc. by a distance equal to at least half the width of the hanger. In other words, elongated hanger supports commonly extend along an axis parallel to and spaced from a vertical wall surface and the suspended hangers and garments carried thereon are generally perpendicular to the wall surfaces.
In locations where space is at a premium, e.g., in mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and other somewhat restricted areas, a significant amount of otherwise free space is taken up by hangers and garments carried thereon perpendicularly to an adjoining, vertical surface. The usual alternative, where it is desired that hangers and garments lie essentially flush against a vertical surface, has been to affix supports in the nature of pegs, hooks, or the like, to such surface. However, supports of that type are generally suitable for accepting only one or two hangers if their space-saving purpose is to be achieved. If support for more than a very few hangers is desired, it is necessary to install a significant number of individual hanger supports, presenting obvious disadvantages in cost, installation time, esthetics, etc.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an elongated support adapted to accept several conventional garment hangers which saves a significant amount of free space in the area in which it is installed.
Another object is to provide an attractive, easily installed support for holding a plurality of garment hangers in side-by-side relation.
Another object is to provide a novel and improved garment hanger support which permits the garments to be suspended in an orientation substantially parallel to an adjoining wall surface.
Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.